Please help!! Betta fish seems sick

Hi!! I’m really worried about our sweet Dorothy. Our housekeeper got her for my 2 young boys for Christmas and has been mostly taking care of her, but she’s recently not seemed well. I really don’t know much about fish, but I have grown really attached to her. She got really bloated and then stopped eating yesterday. Really worried after reading the threads that she might have dropsy, but hoping not. Can anyone give me any recommendations? I ordered maracyn 2 because I thought it was swim bladder at first. I tried a pea, but she wouldn’t eat it. If anyone has recommendations for epsom salt bath too, I just got some. Thank you for any help!! Pictures attached that I took - Used flashlight in some.

 

She may be egg bound, which isn’t as bad as dropsy but I’m not sure of the treatment. I think you’ll want to try fasting her for 5 days first (she may reabsorb the eggs because she’s so hungry), and if that doesn’t work you should look into epsom salt baths. However, I’m more concerned about her tank. It looks like she’s in an bowl with no heater and filter? How many gallons is it? Bettas, especially females, should be in tanks fo 5 gallons or more.

 

It’s just a regular fish bowl. I’ve been learning a lot of things I didn’t know today. It was what was recommended to my housekeeper. My sister had a betta who lived 3-4 years in a similar bowl, so I assumed that it was just the norm for betta fish. Definitely going to look into other options as we do keep our house fairly cold. She’s always seemed very happy up until now, so I was worried that she may have been overfed.

 

Yeah, part of it could be the size of tank. Unfortunately, bettas are commonly thought to like small homes, but generally, at the very least a 10 gallon would be nice for it. I try to come up with parallels when it comes to fish. For example: imagine living in your closet for your entire life. It applies to fish because they live in a small tank their entire life. Same thing with filter and heater. Depending on where you live, temperatures can spike and really hurt the fish, especially in small tanks. The small the body of water, the faster the temperature changes. Also, a tank without a filter is almost like breathing into an exhaust pipe in a car. Even if you do frequent water changes, you still shock the fish with new water so quickly. I would defiantly recommend getting the 10 gallon kit at Walmart. It has everything you need, minus a heater, all for about 30 bucks. Tank, lid with lights, and a filter that, assuming you had the single fish, could last you a few months before needing replaced. Hope this helped!

 

Yeah, part of it could be the size of tank. Unfortunately, bettas are commonly thought to like small homes, but generally, at the very least a 10 gallon would be nice for it. I try to come up with parallels when it comes to fish. For example: imagine living in your closet for your entire life. It applies to fish because they live in a small tank their entire life. Same thing with filter and heater. Depending on where you live, temperatures can spike and really hurt the fish, especially in small tanks. The small the body of water, the faster the temperature changes. Also, a tank without a filter is almost like breathing into an exhaust pipe in a car. Even if you do frequent water changes, you still shock the fish with new water so quickly. I would defiantly recommend getting the 10 gallon kit at Walmart. It has everything you need, minus a heater, all for about 30 bucks. Tank, lid with lights, and a filter that, assuming you had the single fish, could last you a few months before needing replaced. Hope this helped!

Thanks for the tips! Will definitely try to get that as soon as possible. Any recommendations for food? I’m sure what we have from Petsmart might not be the best thing either since they recommended both the bowl and food.

 

I feed my bettas Hikari blood worms. They're very cheap, and they do not smell. It may sounds gross, but they are in a container. Don't worry, they're not live, haha. They're sundried, and my bettas have gotten bright colors, and much activity since feeding them with it. You can find it online at Amazon, or at Petco/smart

 

Thanks for the tips! Will definitely try to get that as soon as possible. Any recommendations for food? I’m sure what we have from Petsmart might not be the best thing either since they recommended both the bowl and food.

I feed fluval tropical fish bug bites for small-medium fish? It might just be for small fish. The pellets are really small so it lowers the risk of bloating by a lot. I usually feed 6 of them daily and then 3 of my actual, much larger, betta pellets on the days he doesn’t get bug bites.

 

I feed my bettas Hikari blood worms. They're very cheap, and they do not smell. It may sounds gross, but they are in a container. Don't worry, they're not live, haha. They're sundried, and my bettas have gotten bright colors, and much activity since feeding them with it. You can find it online at Amazon, or at Petco/smart

I agree they’re great but not as a main meal. They should be more of a treat or atleast fed every other day with pellets fed as the non bloodworm days.

 

Oh yes, I'm aware. I feed my bettas various meals throughout the week, but most of the time I feed them bloodworms.

 

Oh yes, I'm aware. I feed my bettas various meals throughout the week, but most of the time I feed them bloodworms.

Ah, ok. That makes more sense, for a moment I thought you only fed bloodworms.

 

No, haha. I feed flakes, bloodworms, and sometimes river shrimp. I always stand by trying to mimic their natural habitat, even though they were likely captive bred, instinct is still born with them.

 

No, haha. I feed flakes, bloodworms, and sometimes river shrimp. I always stand by trying to mimic their natural habitat, even though they were likely captive bred, instinct is still born with them.

Honestly that sounds like an amazing diet. You must have very happy bettas

 

Yes, they are pretty happy, haha. Sadly one of them jumped out of the tank the other day. It was a blue marble betta. My favorite, in fact.

 

Yes, they are pretty happy, haha. Sadly one of them jumped out of the tank the other day. It was a blue marble betta. My favorite, in fact.

Sorry to hear that . Bettas are great fish, And I’m sure he lived a great life.

 

Thanks, haha. They are very great fish. I'm sure he did, as well.

 

Thanks for all the helpful tips. Hoping she’s going to pull through, and I can give her a better life than what I was doing based on Petsmart’s advice! Guess I should have done my own research, but it was a gift and I trusted the person who told me. My first fish!

 

Thanks for all the helpful tips. Hoping she’s going to pull through, and I can give her a better life than what I was doing based on Petsmart’s advice! Guess I should have done my own research, but it was a gift and I trusted the person who told me. My first fish!

Lol, it's fine. We all make bad mistakes when we first keep fish. Word of advice: Never listen to anyone at Petco/smart. They hardly ever know anything, and what they tell you about a fish, would only be surface level about the fish while there would be much more to learn about it.

 

Lol, it's fine. We all make bad mistakes when we first keep fish. Word of advice: Never listen to anyone at Petco/smart. They hardly ever know anything, and what they tell you about a fish, would only be surface level about the fish while there would be much more to learn about it.

I disagree with this post. While some petcos and petsmarts don’t have great information I would say 50% of the stores I’ve been to have great employees who really do know stuff about fish. I won’t argue that some are bad and mistreat fish but I don’t think that they hardly ever know anything. Maybe your in a bad area, or I got lucky, I don’t know. Either way I’ve had some great experiences.

 

I disagree with this post. While some petcos and petsmarts don’t have great information I would say 50% of the stores I’ve been to have great employees who really do know stuff about fish. I won’t argue that some are bad and mistreat fish but I don’t think that they hardly ever know anything. Maybe your in a bad area, or I got lucky, I don’t know. Either way I’ve had some great experiences.

The last thing you said is of probability, I just have heard one thing from Petco, and another thing from people who claim to be "fish experts" online, and I followed the latter's advice, and I've always had good experiences. As well as I know that their fish tend to carry parasites. (Usually the feeder fish, though)

 

Well, I went to Petsmart to buy a new tank, and I got talked out of it. She said it would take 3 days before I could put Dorothy in, and I’m just worried she’s going downhill quickly. Tonight, she looked even worse before I went and seemed to be getting white stuff around her. I opted to get Tetra Lifeguard All in One (since I don’t know what is wrong) and a small heater, and I’m going to try to find a fish doctor tomorrow. She actually seemed a little more peppy after adding both of those tonight, so I’m hoping maybe not feeding her and a little medicine and heat therapy helped.

She has a small white spot in the front very bottom part of her belly. Not sure if anyone noticed it or knows what it is. I’ll try to post another pic that shows it more clearly. I first saw it about a month ago, but couldn’t find anything that looked like it, so I assumed it had just always been there, and I hadn’t noticed. Not sure if that had anything to do with the bloating or not, but maybe the medicine is helping that.

 

Well, I went to Petsmart to buy a new tank, and I got talked out of it. She said it would take 3 days before I could put Dorothy in, and I’m just worried she’s going downhill quickly. Tonight, she looked even worse before I went and seemed to be getting white stuff around her. I opted to get Tetra Lifeguard All in One (since I don’t know what is wrong) and a small heater, and I’m going to try to find a fish doctor tomorrow. She actually seemed a little more peppy after adding both of those tonight, so I’m hoping maybe not feeding her and a little medicine and heat therapy helped.

She has a small white spot in the front very bottom part of her belly. Not sure if anyone noticed it or knows what it is. I’ll try to post another pic that shows it more clearly. I first saw it about a month ago, but couldn’t find anything that looked like it, so I assumed it had just always been there, and I hadn’t noticed. Not sure if that had anything to do with the bloating or not, but maybe the medicine is helping that.

You could put her in right away if you do daily waterchanges (which you may want to do anyway). If she’s going downhill that fast I’m not sure what to do. The stress of a new tank may just be to much for her but I doubt she’ll get better in that bowl. If you don’t get the tank then the best things you can do for her is keep the water clean and try adding in Indian almond leaves, They can help a betta just be overall healthier.

 

She's not egg bound at all. Just bloated from cheap pellets and fin rot from being in a bowl. Both of which can easily be fixed if in the right conditions. Please refer to your first thread.

 

Hm. The white spot sounds concerning. You should still get the tank, and if they have it at Petsmart, get the "Instant cycle" chemical thing. It basically puts the bacteria and chemicals that you need in a cycled aquarium, or you could take the stuff (rocks, plants, etc) currently in the bowl, and let it sit for a while. There should be beneficial bacteria on it that should help speed it up to maybe 1 day or so. Betta's are also hardy, so even if you didn't wait 3 days, it would likely be fine.

 

Hm. The white spot sounds concerning. You should still get the tank, and if they have it at Petsmart, get the "Instant cycle" chemical thing. It basically puts the bacteria and chemicals that you need in a cycled aquarium, or you could take the stuff (rocks, plants, etc) currently in the bowl, and let it sit for a while. There should be beneficial bacteria on it that should help speed it up to maybe 1 day or so. Betta's are also hardy, so even if you didn't wait 3 days, it would likely be fine.

the white spot is her egg sac ... already discussed in her other thread just like the treatment she needs to follow

 

Yeah she definitely needs to be moved out of the bowl ASAP. You can just do a fish-in cycle. The whole 3 days means nothing, 3 days won’t change anything about the tank from when you first set it up. Really if you want to cycle it before adding her it takes weeks, but you can just do a fish-in cycle.

 

I would suggest get a bigger tank and don’t talk to the people working at the store you were going to... Some say 10 gallons but I have mine in 5 gallon and they seem happy. A low flow filter is needed as well and maybe some places to hide. I use safe start plus to kick start the cycle and get a api water test kit to check when the cycle is done. From there do daily water changes and/or add scheme prime. Also Indian almond leaves release tannin which is good for the fish. I wouldn’t medicate unless she doesn’t show signs of improvement or gets worse, you don’t want to over medicate her and stress her out. Also if she’s constipated fast her for a few days if you haven’t done it already. Best of luck, she’s a beautiful girl.

 

A fish in cycle is the best approach given her state. get her into a larger tank. She's pretty big for a 1 gallon - where you'd have to do water changes everyday to stay on top of her bio-load. A 5 gallon with heater & filter can self regulate because beneficial bacteria would exist in gravel & filter

keep the 1 gallon as back up for cleaning main tank or store supplied like a fish net etc.

Good luck!

 

Well, last night before I went to bed, she was in her cave, and when I checked on her this morning at 6am she was still there and had died. Not sure I could have done anything or if I just killed my poor Dorothy, but I agree that I will never listen to anyone at Petsmart again. They act very knowledgeable, and I’m sure some of them may be, but I wouldn’t take any chances with their advice again. She gave me this whole spiel about them living in mud puddles or something, and I read that’s a common myth. Definitely going through the stages of grief, and I’m really angry right now at everyone including myself. Wish I had gotten on this site earlier, and I really appreciate everyone’s advice. It’s just hard sometimes when you have some people telling you she’s egg bound, others saying the stress moving into a new tank might kill her, and the people at Petsmart saying their fish always live for years in a small bowl and she’s just bloated and needs a pea. The only experience I’ve had is my sister who had one in a small bowl in college and it lived past 3. In looking back, I think we cleaned the bowl too much, and didn’t keep enough of the water in. We started washing the rocks and plants too, so I see now that what we started doing probably was getting rid of any good bacteria.

I just wanted you all to know that the advice wasn’t a complete waste of time. If we ever get a fish again, I’ll definitely take the time to learn more and get a proper tank, and now I can also advise others to get on this site and find out more info early on before something goes wrong and not to keep a filter-less bowl or listen to people at Petsmart. My 3 year old cried for a while, so it’s been a tough day. I just hope she didn’t suffer too much. Thank you again, and sorry I failed so miserably at this.

 

I clean my aquarium decor 1x a month under tap water and even use warm water w/ aquarium salt if it's full of algae or gunk & then rinse- during a monthly water change

I cleaned gravel in my smaller tanks too before I got a vacuum ( the pump kind, $10.00 at amazon) .

Fish keeping has a very steep learning curve. Please see this as a learning lesson and don't blame yourself too much. Ppl may get upset with this comment, but you did the best you could with the knowledge you had. Any fish you have going forward will benefit by this new knowledge.

 

I am so sorry about Dorothy. It is very hard. It would be nice if there was a cure-all for every fish disease. But know that you tried, and you clearly care, so please don’t feel defeated.

I felt this exact same way last summer after our betta died. I cried so much and felt terrible and vowed to never have another betta. I didn’t want to hurt any more fish. But over time we got another betta. Caring for him has been easier after learning so much from the first experience. Since then, we’ve added 5 more.

Best wishes to you and your son,
Emily

 

Well, last night before I went to bed, she was in her cave, and when I checked on her this morning at 6am she was still there and had died. Not sure I could have done anything or if I just killed my poor Dorothy, but I agree that I will never listen to anyone at Petsmart again. They act very knowledgeable, and I’m sure some of them may be, but I wouldn’t take any chances with their advice again. She gave me this whole spiel about them living in mud puddles or something, and I read that’s a common myth. Definitely going through the stages of grief, and I’m really angry right now at everyone including myself. Wish I had gotten on this site earlier, and I really appreciate everyone’s advice. It’s just hard sometimes when you have some people telling you she’s egg bound, others saying the stress moving into a new tank might kill her, and the people at Petsmart saying their fish always live for years in a small bowl and she’s just bloated and needs a pea. The only experience I’ve had is my sister who had one in a small bowl in college and it lived past 3. In looking back, I think we cleaned the bowl too much, and didn’t keep enough of the water in. We started washing the rocks and plants too, so I see now that what we started doing probably was getting rid of any good bacteria.

I just wanted you all to know that the advice wasn’t a complete waste of time. If we ever get a fish again, I’ll definitely take the time to learn more and get a proper tank, and now I can also advise others to get on this site and find out more info early on before something goes wrong and not to keep a filter-less bowl or listen to people at Petsmart. My 3 year old cried for a while, so it’s been a tough day. I just hope she didn’t suffer too much. Thank you again, and sorry I failed so miserably at this.

I’m so sorry for your loss. My betta died on Thursday and my heart is still broken and I feel your pain. He was sick and I went through the same thing. It’s so confusing knowing what to do with all the different advice and having to learn as you go. At least you do know you tried your best and she was loved. She had a much better life than if she was stuck in the cup in the pet store her whole life.